Greetings from the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County (SJFVC). This update is the last of 2020, a very tough year for all with the pandemic and a toxic political atmosphere. Despite all this difficulty, I take heart that there are many people, young people, struggling for fairness and equity, and trying to bend the arc of history towards justice. SJFVC, thanks to our donors and supporters, has been able to support this effort. Here is the latest update:
Congress recently approved a new stimulus package providing funding for the federal government through the remainder of fiscal year 2021 and the latest installment of COVID-19 related measures. Below is a brief synopsis of the information related to PPP, SBA Loans, the Emergency Capital Investment Program and Unemployment Insurance.
The SBA and Department of Treasury have not released their formal announcement and information regarding the roll out of the programs listed below. The EDC will be actively engaged with these organizations as the situation develops.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Computer Science Lecturer Ryan McIntyre wrote his master’s thesis, he hoped his mathematical analyses could be used to enhance DNA processing.
No one was more surprised than he was to learn that graduate students in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had discovered his published thesis, “Bounding the size of minimal clique covers,” in the 2018 Journal of Discrete Algorithms.
Not a journal everybody reads, but the MIT group was impressed enough with McIntyre’s findings that they decided to apply them in their own research into problems with satellites.
There are 737 new cases of COVID-19
There have been 6 additional deaths: 68 year old female, 96 year old female, 63 year old female, 86 year old male, 96 year old female and 95 year old female. Those that passed away had comorbidities. Our thoughts are with their loved ones during this time.
4,317 new tests performed
Current doubling time is 28.6 days.
Current hospitalizations: 326 and current ICU: 67.
Please help bring down the numbers during this critical time.
KidSTREAM, Ventura County’s children’s museum, is moving into a new stage of growth as plans develop to open the museum to the public in 2021. kidSTREAM’s board is growing strategically by adding two members, Hillary McLoughlin and Jake Furlow, whose strengths and experiences will help guide the emerging children’s museum opening.
“We are incredibly honored to have Hillary and Jake join our team as we ramp up to open,” said kidSTREAM Executive Director, Michael Shanklin, “We are equally thrilled that both new directors bring experience, strength, and passion to serve the children of our region.”
Staff members of the Southeast Ventura County YMCA and officers from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department gave away almost 500 toys on Thursday at the Yarrow Family YMCA in Westlake Village.
Toys were distributed to 120 young scholars (and their siblings) who participated in last summer’s “Find My Genius” YMCA program. In addition, each family received a $100 VISA debit card donated by the Lost Hills Sheriff Foundation. Families stayed in their cars while YMCA volunteers and sheriff officers handed out toys.
Anybody who would like a motorized toy car modified for kids with disabilities can learn to build one through a project started by a University of Delaware (UD) Professor of Physical Therapy Cole Galloway, PhD. His social enterprise is called “GoBabyGo!”
“As a researcher, I’m fascinated with this,” said CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Assistant Professor of Management Maria Ballesteros-Sola, who holds a doctorate in business administration. “It’s not a business, it’s not a nonprofit. Go Baby Go’s founder is growing a social movement with no internal structure and it’s working.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe economic and health impacts in our community. Local revenues have dropped while, at the same time, there has been an increased need for health, social and business services. Over the past ten months of response the County of Ventura has been committed to providing local assistance directly to the community. $120 million has been provided in local assistance. This support will continue into the new year.
Ventura County Public Works Agency-Watershed Protection (VCPWA-WP) is working to reduce potential flood risk from Hueneme Road to Jane Drive with the tšumaš Creek improvement project.
The project, which is scheduled to be completed by late November 2021, will enlarge 870 linear feet of the channel in preparation for the one percent annual chance, or 100-year, flood. A portion of the enlarged channel (710 feet) will be converted to a buried reinforced concrete box culvert, which will help to prevent dumping or trash blowing into that segment of the channel.
With the addition of the campus’s new CLIA-certified lab, the COVID surveillance testing team is running 4,000 tests per week.
Ventura County we need your help. Our hospitals are filling up with COVID-19 patients. The cases continue to rise. During other emergencies like recent fires you could see the smoke. You could see the devastation. This emergency is like a fire but the people impacted are often not seen. Please help us respond to the emergency by following the public health guidance. We must bring down the numbers.
Stan Mantooth was installed as a Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) trustee at the District’s Annual Organizational Meeting on Dec. 15. Trustee Bernardo M. Perez, who has represented Area 4 since 2010, was installed for another four-year term. The board of trustees also elected Joshua Chancer as chair, Dianne B. McKay as vice chair and VCCCD Chancellor Greg Gillespie as secretary.
United Way of Santa Barbara County (UWSBC) and community donors from United Way’s Young Leaders Society, The Zia Group, L3 Harris, and Northern Trust provided holiday wish list gifts to 53 local children and families this 2020 holiday season through their Adopt-A-Child gift drive.
The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (WDB) was awarded a $315,000 grant by the State of California Employment Development Department to implement a National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the Ventura County workforce.
The funding will aid Ventura County’s response to COVID-19 by providing opportunities for employment and training services to individuals who are unemployed or underemployed as a result of the pandemic and who are unlikely to return to work in their previous occupations. Services include training and job placement in in-demand careers, especially those where there is an increased need due to the impact of COVID-19.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) has received four grants that will benefit university science and math students; primary and secondary school physical education classes across the state, and perhaps provide important research for California when the state makes wildfire policy.
The virtual learning environment prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic is creating some hurdles for all students, but may be especially challenging for students taking critical math courses necessary for them to major in one of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
The unique challenge we have all faced this past year is inconceivable. It has been especially hard to imagine the difficulty for families struggling to remain employed, desperate to keep their families fed and safe while at the same time trying to figure out how to keep a roof over their heads during a pandemic.
At Ventura County Community Development Corporation, we believe that home is the cornerstone of any individual and family’s economic and social well-being. VCCDC assists those families in need through financial education programs including foreclosure prevention and rental counseling utilizing HUD certified Homeownership Specialists to assist in building a path to homeownership and financial stability for low to moderate income families and individuals throughout our community.
Santa Barbara County Food Action Network (SBCFAN) announces the recipients of its 2020 Food System Resilience Grants. Grants totalling $150,000 are given to support the achievement of Food Action Plan goals by contributing to the broader food systems of Santa Barbara County. SBCFAN is awarding the grants in partnership with the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County and the Santa Barbara Foundation.
The nonprofits receiving 2020 Food System Resilience Grants are:
It’s hard to know what to say at the close of a year like this one, so we thought we’d leave it to artists Jessie Arms Botke and Cornelis Botke and a new virtual exhibit of their famous handmade holiday cards.
We’ve said it before, but it’s very much worth repeating: all of us here at the Santa Paula Art Museum are so grateful to our community, members, donors, docents, teaching artists, board of directors, and fellow staff members for encouraging us to continue the work that we love and believe to be important. Thank you. We wish you a healthy and happy holiday season.
While it remains uncertain when California museums will be able to reopen to the public, the Santa Paula Art Museum already has a lot planned for 2021. Check out our upcoming virtual offerings below!
The holidays are here and for many it is hard to find joy after the year we’ve experienced. This is usually an exciting time to be making wonderful memories with our close friends and family but this year, whether you are grieving the loss of someone special or the loss of normal life due to COVID-19, we all can agree there is an empty space where our typical holiday traditions used to be.
Though grief is a normal part of life, it can be especially difficult to cope with loss during, what is supposed to be, one of the most joyous times of the year. We are all grieving in some way and Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) is offering support during this time to help us get through this, from grief counseling, to COVID-19 resources, to Speaker Series and holiday events via Zoom – HSB has created an online community to support those grieving this holiday season.
Dear Community Member,
You are invited to explore the new MVC Gallery Marketplace! The MVC Gallery Marketplace has been created to help regional artists sell their works. The Museum’s Fine Arts Committee and Cultural Team has selected notable artists working in many media, who represent some of the finest work in our county.
(We have partnered with the UPS Store at 35 W Main Street in Ventura for easy and secure shipping.)
When Latinos in this country think of indigenous music originating in Mexico, our thoughts and hearts turn wistfully to the Aztec dancers we see performing at our cultural festivals, political protests and religious celebrations. The music consists of unfiltered rhythms from the sacred beating heart of Aztec ritual that celebrated life and death as both sides of the same mystical coin. Copal incense wafts past us, reminding us of the frankincense and myrrh that is cast into the air along with our prayers at Catholic rites such as the exposition of the Eucharist and funerals.
At its regular monthly meeting on Dec. 17, 2020, the Santa Barbara City College District Board of Trustees elected Dr. Peter O. Haslund as president of the Board for the 2021 calendar year. Kate Parker was elected Board vice president.
President Haslund joined the Board in December 2010 and represents Area 1 (Carpinteria and Monecito). Vice PresidentParker joined the Board in December 2018 and representsArea 7 (Santa Barbara).
In addition to the election of new officers, the oath of office was administered remotely by Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido, Ed.D., to one new and two continuing trustees who were chosen by voters in the Nov. 3 election. The Board welcomed Dr. Anna Everett who was elected to the seat vacated by Craig Nielsen. Trustees Robert Miller and Veronica Gallardo were successful in their races to continue on the Board.
Out of Nowhere, Disease, Death and Dread: At the start of the year no one knew what the Corona virus was, by the end of 2020 there is no one left in the world that does not know what COVID-19 virus is, and had not been devastated by its relentless and deadly onslaught. This day Monday, December 14, 2020 the United States death toll from the covid-19 virus topped 300,000 and worldwide the death count has moved pasted 1.62 million souls that have succumb to this deadly virus that has infected the entire world, with no let-up into the foreseeable future. It seems that everyone in this country, indeed throughout the world, in some painful way knows of someone close that has died or suffered horribly from complications brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On November 20, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) Office of Administrative Law approved new Cal/OSHA emergency temporary standards (ETS) for COVID-19, effective November 30. Many of the ETS are already required by existing employer workplace injury and illness prevention programs (IIPP-see Injury and Illness Prevention Program), or will be required under AB 685 (the new COVID-19 employee safety and reporting law effective January 1, 2021), but some requirements are new and must be complied with immediately.
Ventura County,
There are 731 new cases of COVID-19.
There have been 3 additional deaths (93 year old male, 85 year old female and 68 year old female, all with comorbidities). Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those who have passed away.
Current doubling time is 37.5 days.
Current hospitalizations: 249 and current ICU: 55.
At this week’s Board of Supervisors hearing, we received an update on COVID-19 and the status of the vaccination.
Currently, we have 40 active cases in the South County Unincorporated Areas (which include Montecito, Summerland and the City of Carpinteria), 240 active cases in the City of Santa Barbara, and 1136 active cases County-wide. Our adjusted case rate is 19.2 per 100,000 residents and we have a 6.1% test positivity rate.
After careful consideration and in the best interest of our student athletes, coaches and athletic staff of Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges, the Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) has decided to “opt-out” of competition for the upcoming California Community College Association (CCCAA) Spring I season at this time, a decision that affects traditional fall and winter sports. The VCCCD programs affected by this decision are football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s water polo, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, men’s wrestling and women’s golf.
The staff at the MESA Program is mailing Holiday greeting cards to all their students. The project should finalize Dec. 17, with the mailing of dozens of Holiday greeting cards. Frankly, this was just a gesture of service. We later realized that it happens to tie in nicely as we conclude Final Exam Week and the fall 2020 semester.
It’s been quite an interesting semester. We care about our students and feel that every connection matters. Many students missed out on their celebratory EOY potluck(s) that traditionally take place in their respective classrooms, with fellow classmates, and at the MESA Center. The greeting cards contain a hand-written message from us staff & a pouch of hot cocoa. The idea behind this lost art is to send our students a bit of wholesome holiday cheer in hopes of making a positive impact during these most unprecedented times. It would be interesting to know how many of these students have ever received a greeting card via snail-mail vs virtually!
Thanksgiving Culinary Donations:
Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel- Chef Massimo & Isabel Pfander
Renaud’s Patisserie- Renaud Gonthier & Nancy Vasquez
Anna’s Bakery- Lisa Boelter & Deborah Weber
McDonald’s -Fairview Ave.- Cici Doctolero, Manager
Sprouts- Rod Rufo & Terry Cribbs
The unique challenge we have all faced this past year is inconceivable. It has been especially hard to imagine the difficulty for families struggling to remain employed, desperate to keep their families fed and safe while at the same time trying to figure out how to keep a roof over their heads during a pandemic.
At Ventura County Community Development Corporation, we believe that home is the cornerstone of any individual and family’s economic and social well-being. VCCDC assists those families in need through financial education programs including foreclosure prevention and rental counseling utilizing HUD certified Homeownership Specialists to assist in building a path to homeownership and financial stability for low to moderate income families and individuals throughout our community.
Please join us in the fight to strengthen our community. Your gift will build hope and empower your neighbors as they work to improve and stabilize their quality of life through the education and financial assistance programs offered here at VCCDC.
